MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/01/15/2009-01-15_us_airways_airplane_crashes_in_hudson_ri.html)

A former fighter pilot was hailed as the hero of the Hudson after he crash-landed a stricken US Airways jet in the river Thursday - and got everybody out alive.

Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger was still drying off from the ordeal when Mayor Bloomberg sang his praises.

"He did a masterful job of landing the plane in the river," Bloomberg said of the veteran pilot who lives near San Francisco.

With water seeping into the plane, Sullenberger walked up and down the center aisle twice to make sure nobody was left before he fled the jet, the mayor said.

"He was the last one off the plane," Bloomberg said.

Gov. Paterson also praised the ferry boat operators and rescue workers who rushed over as the plane bobbed in the 40-degree water and plucked the passengers off the wings.

"We've had a miracle on the Hudson," Paterson said.

So how about that? This is probably going to end up being one of the best stories of the year. Former F-4 Phantom pilot, twenty+ years of commercial flying under his belt, manages to land a twin-engine commuter jet flying deadstick into a freezing river - and not a single fatality (not counting the geese).:thumbsup:

This is amazing. This guy deserves some kind of medal, and so do those folks on the water taxis who immediately steered at flank speed for the splashdown site - probably expecting to see nothing more than debris and floating suitcases when they arrived.:patriot:

For the pilot, a big :salute: to you sir.

Night Wolf

01-15-09, 10:45 PM

I wouldn't consider an A320 a commuter jet...

but yeah, I read that earlier today.... neat stuff. First thing that caught my attention was "Hudson" in the headlines on Yahoo.... I used to live in the Mid-Hudson Valley, right on the Hudson, but down here it's not something you hear often.

Submariner409

01-15-09, 11:14 PM

Putting an AirBus dead stick into the Hudson with no loss of life is flat miraculous. Testimony to the flight crew and airframe.

Dkoz, How do these things maintain control surface operation with no engine function ??? Aux hydraulics or what ???

dkozloski

01-15-09, 11:44 PM

Putting an AirBus dead stick into the Hudson with no loss of life is flat miraculous. Testimony to the flight crew and airframe.

Dkoz, How do these things maintain control surface operation with no engine function ??? Aux hydraulics or what ???
Common strategies for aux hydraulic power, an electric pump, a hydraulic pump that pops out of the airplane and is windmill driven, a pump driven by a turbine APU. An A320 Airbus has a ramair driven gearotor pump.

FWIW, years ago, a Japanese pilot landed a jetliner in San Fransisco bay with the gear down and very little damage was done to the airframe. The theory was that the thing hydroplaned across the water for quite a distance before settling gracefully into the water. Reports are that the guy today also landed gear down with similar results. Conventional thinking has always been that landing, gear down, would catch the water and maybe even flip the plane over. They were wrong.

Alaskan bush pilots routinely land wheeled aircraft on the water and coast to the beach. They also start their takeoff run on land and continue out into the water. My neighbor, Lee Staley, has this procedure down cold. He is a very capable bush pilot and does it despite being a paraplegic with very limited use of his legs.

I must be one of the luckiest people on Earth. Over my lifetime I've known dozens and dozens of people with the most remarkable abilities and life stories; anyone of which would easily provide all the material you'd need to write a book. The big problem is that nobody would believe the largest share of them even though they're the God's honest truth.

C0RSA1R

01-16-09, 12:09 AM

This is definitely an amazing story. I saw a video on YouTube of that airliner that got hijacked, and ran out of fuel off the coast of some islands in Africa(?) - the pilot had her all lined up for a water landing, but the hijackers panicked and tried to wrest control of the airplane. Result: the thing hit wingtip first, spun out, and broke up before anyone knew what hit them. This guy in NYC, not being sure of the winds, the river conditions, the possibility of traffic on the river or obstructions like long piers or shallow sandbars, just set her down as neat as you please and 155 people just walked off the plane, and were all in rescue boats and water taxis within about ten or fifteen minutes. Incredible.

Rolex

01-16-09, 12:42 AM

That was truly some awesome footage, and the pilot did an awesome job. I was shocked to see that big jet floating in the Hudson. There was an expert on the ABC evening news that said the pilot performed a textbook landing. Rather then risk not making it back to the airport and having to land in a heavily populated area, possibly injuring or killing hundreds of people, he made a great decision to set it down in the river. I never would've occurred to me that this was a textbook maneuver. I learn something new every day.

:cheers: to that pilot.

TaVern

01-16-09, 02:15 AM

Props to the Captain and Second Officer. Hopefully, they'll both get a job offer at a REAL airline.

I hate US Air. Flying Greyhound buses.

lawfive

01-16-09, 03:24 AM

I can't add anything to the above praise. I fly over 100 segments a year and I'm always hopeful I have a Sullenberger type in the cockpit.

Jesda

01-16-09, 06:01 AM

US Air doesn't deserve pilots that skilled.

MauiV

01-16-09, 01:29 PM

Plastic French Airplanes FTL.

fierodough

01-16-09, 03:19 PM

Don't make us send another fleet of killer Canadian geese! Surrender and comply to the metric system! :cool2: :histeric:

Seriously, that pilot did an awesome job!

blunted

01-16-09, 03:55 PM

I couldn't be happier at the turn of events. The last thing the city needed was another plane tragedy.. especially after Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle flew his plane into a building. With the engines being on fire, that was definitely the way to go. 2 months after the Sept 11th attacks, American Airlines flight 587 crashed in queens after takeoff and an engine that fell off clipped a building and killed a few people. Definite kudos to that pilot.. I can only imagine the view the people got that were driving down the Henry Hudson Parkway when that thing went down. I drive on it all the time.. wish I woulda seen it! :D

urbanski

01-16-09, 05:08 PM

NTSB just said BOTH engines fell off. looking for them in the river now. gotta find em to prove the birds.

dkozloski

01-16-09, 05:28 PM

NTSB just said BOTH engines fell off. looking for them in the river now. gotta find em to prove the birds.
Since the engines cost about $7,000,000 each they want to be sure that the right guy gets blamed for the problem.

blunted

01-16-09, 06:53 PM

NTSB just said BOTH engines fell off. looking for them in the river now. gotta find em to prove the birds.

DAYUM! Both from friggin geese!? :eek: Even more credit to that pilot.. wonder if he's related to this guy who landed an F15 with one wing. (FF to 4:15 for a visual)

LveSc8Lp0ZE

MauiV

01-16-09, 09:11 PM

I would guess that hitting the water at 180knots may have something to do with the engines not still being attached, but Im sure the conspiracy freaks will start having sightings of missels and slingshots and aliens blah blah blah. No doubt they will pin this on the controller for not isuing the right type of bird or the correct size and number in the bird advisory.

I remember several years ago the Air Force lost an E-3 at Elmendorf to gooses in the motors.

dkozloski

01-16-09, 10:43 PM

I would guess that hitting the water at 180knots may have something to do with the engines not still being attached, but Im sure the conspiracy freaks will start having sightings of missels and slingshots and aliens blah blah blah. No doubt they will pin this on the controller for not isuing the right type of bird or the correct size and number in the bird advisory.

I remember several years ago the Air Force lost an E-3 at Elmendorf to gooses in the motors.
24 deaths in that one.

Ranger

01-16-09, 11:01 PM

Putting an AirBus dead stick into the Hudson with no loss of life is flat miraculous. Testimony to the flight crew and airframe.

It truly was Sub. I was in an Airbus simulator a few years ago and after the actual "check" the pilot wanted to try something similar. These sims are extremely realistic. We took off out of SFO and cut both engines at about the same altitude he was at and the turn 180 and dead sticked it back in. I don't mind saying that I was a little puckered. It was a very rough "landing", but as the pilots looked at each other and said, "I think we would have survived that one".

I'm quite sure Sully will be rightfully honored and will likely be on the speech circuit. I know Capt Al Haynes of UAL 232 (Sioux City) was giving speeches for some time and may still be. For those who don't remember that one, he flew it in with no hydraulics, thus no rudder, ailerons or flaps. He wasn't quite as lucky as Sully, but many did survive which was a miracle in itself after seeing the "landing".

C0RSA1R

01-16-09, 11:49 PM

I'm quite sure Sully will be rightfully honored and will likely be on the speech circuit.

I hope this guy likes reporters, and has the sense to put on some shades when the photogs fire up their klieg lights. Can't make a landing like that one with burned-out retinas.

Incidentally, apparently this guy has held positions relating to flying safety all his life, both in the service and in commercial employ, and headed some airline safety commissions. According to Wikipedia:

In total, he has more than 40 years of flying experience, and since 2007[6] has led a safety consulting business he founded,[5] Safety Reliability Methods Inc.,[10]which provides "emergency management, safety strategies and performance monitoring to the aviation industry."[5] He has also been involved in a number of accident investigations by the USAF and the National Transportation Safety Board, served as an instructor, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) safety chairman, accident investigator, and national technical committee member.[10][13]. His safety work for the ALPA led to the development of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular.[11] He was also instrumental in developing and implementing the Crew Resource Management course that is used by his airline, and he has taught the course to hundreds of other airline members.[11]

Talk about the right person in the right place at the right time.

And yes, he already has his own Wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesley_Sullenberger). :bang2:

Eld01

01-17-09, 12:16 AM

That pilot is a HERO, to at least 155 people, plus their families. He amazed everyone else.

dirt_cheap_fleetwood

01-17-09, 01:38 AM

I was watching the news last night and they were talking about the plane itself. Apparently this model Airbus has a unique feature called a "Ditch button." When pressed it seals any holes that lead from the outside of the cabin to the inside, turning the plane into a boat. On the news they said as long as the rear doors are not opened the plane can float for more than 20 minutes, depending on the amount of damage caused by the landing.

Nutz

01-17-09, 02:00 AM

Here is the first remarkable video posted on youtube 10 mins ago!

F3S5LWz5Hrg

tman2093

01-17-09, 03:59 AM

French made plane or not, the fact that we're (the human race) capable of building something strong enough to withstand an emergency landing like that is a true testament to how far we've come. Think about the earliest passenger planes, that'd likely have crumbled.

Night Wolf

01-18-09, 02:47 PM

French made plane or not, the fact that we're (the human race) capable of building something strong enough to withstand an emergency landing like that is a true testament to how far we've come. Think about the earliest passenger planes, that'd likely have crumbled.

Eh, we are not as all-knowing masterful beings as we'd like to think we are.... anyway, the DC-3 made in the 30's could take a whole lot more abuse then that Airbus ever could...